To understand the needs of having adequate insulation is like understanding the importance of keeping your refrigerator door shut. It’s very simple, leave the door open and watch your utility bills climb. The second you close the door the space inside the refrigerator immediately begins to reach and maintain its desired temperature. If you have inadequate insulation in your attic you are living with the door open. The second you add insulation you will begin to control your desired temperature and see immediate reduction in your utility costs.

If you have certain rooms in your home that seem to stay too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter it is likely due to inadequate insulation. No matter what kind of insulation you currently have in your attic, one quick way to determine if you need more is to look across the span of your attic. If your insulation is just level with or below your floor joists (i.e., you can easily see your joists), you should add more. If you cannot see any of the floor joists because the insulation is well above them (approximately 1 – 2’), you probably have enough and adding more may not be cost-effective. It is important that the insulation be evenly distributed with no low spots; sometimes there is enough insulation in the middle of the attic and very little along the eaves.

If you are a Do-It-Yourself type of person this is a project you will enjoy.